It is time to make our yearly journey to Jerusalem. The one we make each year in heart and soul. That is why the words we hear Jesus speak to us this Ash Wednesday are pleasing to our ears. He says to his friends, Look, we are going up to Jerusalem. (v. 31) Jesus says “we.” He wants his friends to come! He wants the company! He wants you and me to join him on this journey!
Today is all about glory. It is about the glory of the LORD. The term “glory of the Lord” is first used in the book of Exodus. The Lord God tells the Israelites who have just come out of Egypt that the next morning they were going to see a special manifestation of his presence with them. They were going to see “the glory of the Lord.” And they did. Many times after that, the “glory of the Lord” would appear to them. The “glory of the Lord” filled the Holy of Holies in the Tabernacle.
The whole scene is too delicious! It couldn’t be scripted any better. It sets up to be the ultimate story of revenge. There are the brothers. They are before the one they believe to be the second-in-command in all the land of Egypt. They believe his name to be Zaphenath-Paneah (Genesis 41:45). Little do they know the man is really their own brother, Joseph! Their brother Joseph whom they had cruelly sold 22 years earlier.
Paul once experienced something I am not sure anyone else ever experienced. Paul got to go to heaven before he died. That’s right. He tells about it in the verses just before our text. He flashes back fourteen years. He tells of the time he was caught up to the third heaven (2 Corinthians 12:2). This is a Jewish way of speaking.
Have you ever been in the presence of greatness? That’s kind of hard to answer, isn’t it? I suppose it all depends on one’s definition of greatness. I could tell you I have been in the presence of greatness. I once stood next to baseball Hall-of-Famer Paul Molitor and held his cup of water while he signed his autograph for me. If you are not a baseball fan, you might not think Paul Molitor is all that great.
Jesus was busy. That doesn’t mean that Jesus was rushed or frenetic in his pace. I am reading a book right now in which the author makes the interesting observation that Jesus did ministry at 3 miles an hour. That is the average speed a person walks. And Jesus walked everywhere. He may have moved at only 3 MPH, but he was busy! His days were filled!
Back on January 15 of this new year, something happened in the African nation of Congo that did not really make the headlines over here. On January 15, Christians in the village of Lubero were targeted for attack. On that day 53 Christians were slaughtered simply because they profess faith in Jesus Christ. Since Christmas Day, at least 128 Christians have been martyred in the Democratic Republic of Congo.
Before us this morning is the story of a wedding. Now, when it comes to weddings, we might say this wedding is quite unspectacular. There is nothing exotic about the destination. It’s not some white, sandy beach somewhere at sunset. It is in a little village in Galilee, considered by many at the time to be “hillbilly country.” It did not take place in a grand old church with a long center aisle and a magnificent pipe organ; it likely took place at the groom’s home.
We have to be very careful with our identity nowadays, don’t we? We hear much about “identity theft.” There are bad actors in this world who will steal your information, your name, image, likeness, and use it for bad things. They might become “you” and get a credit card and run up a huge bill. They might become “you” and buy all sorts of stuff on Amazon.
The celebration of Epiphany is really a localized event. What I mean is that there is a location that is associated with Epiphany. That place is Bethlehem. Herod’s priest directed the Wise Men to Bethlehem. The star in the sky stopped over Bethlehem. They found Jesus in Bethlehem. They presented gold, frankincense and myrrh in Bethlehem.
